Eldar Lexicon

An example of the Aeldari runes that make up the written form of the Aeldari Lexicon.

The Eldar Lexicon, also called the Aeldari Lexicon, is the name given by Imperial scholars to the spoken and written language of the Aeldari species. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible for an outsider, particularly humans, to understand anything but the most basic formulations of the Aeldari Lexicon, as many of its references are metaphors that draw directly upon the collective Aeldari psyche, incorporating mythical peoples and places and long-lost times and events in its basic structure.

The Aeldari also communicate with poses and gestures because their senses are far more finely attuned to others' emotional and mental states as a result of their intensely psychic natures than the average human; it is possible for two Aeldari to have an entire conversation using only their body language.

The Aeldari written language is equally complex. Each written symbol, whether it is a rune, script or a hierogram, is not simply the letter of an alphabet like the written High or Low Gothic language used in the Imperium of Man. Instead, each Aeldari symbol represents an entire concept.

Furthermore, even more difficult to comprehend from the human perspective is that many of these symbolic concepts can have a subtly different meaning when committed to usage in Aeldari script, another when employed in the rune-casting prognostications of the Farseers and yet another when incorporated into the hierograms of the Aeldari houses and design schools.

Ultimately, the language of the Aeldari is an ancient and complex dialect built upon and refined over many millions of Terran years. Compared to the crude, blunt sounds of High or Low Gothic, its words flow from one to the next, each sentence a complete idea as much as a collection of letters or numbers. Humans can imitate Aeldari speech to a certain degree, with sufficient training, but compared to a native speaker they are slow and halting at best.

This is largely because, as noted above, the Aeldari language is not actually comprised of words alone like human languages, but also accompanied by a detailed set of poses and gestures. The way an Aeldari stands, the cast of his features or how he moves his hands can all change the meaning of words, sometimes dramatically.

Further complicating matters is that each Aeldari word or symbol is as much a concept as it is a name for something. Thus while the Aeldari word for "rock" might mean rock, it might also be used to convey permanence or stability, or in a different context lack of life or thought. To a human, words gain meaning from their context and the words around them, while to an Aeldari the words themselves already possess infinite meaning, manipulated by a crooked finger or slight inflection when speaking.

The Aeldari Lexicon is used by all of the different Aeldari factions, including the CraftworldAsuryani, the Exodites, the Harlequins and the Drukhari, though each faction may have different dialects or particular usages that differ from the others.

The Aeldari Lexicon can differ from Craftworld to Craftworld, and most Aeldari can tell the origin of another member of their species simply by the differences in both their speech and body language.

An executive officer who is the second-in-command of an Aeldari starship. It his duty to "bring water" to "quench the fire" of his superior and relieve him or her of command if necessary. Extremely rare, such an act is a disgrace to the captain in question who has no choice but to leave his or her Craftworld afterwards, becoming an Outcast.

Any species deemed inferior to the Aeldari; it is most often applied at present to humans. The term is derived from the legendary cannibalistic misshapen monstrosities that invaded and subjugated ancient Aeldari lands until they were cleansed from the galaxy by the hero Elronhir.

The term for the Aeldari theory of interdimensional or hyperdimensional physics that describes the functioning of the Webway.

Yngir

Unknown

The term refers to giant, demigod-like beings; it is usually used to refer more specifically to the C'tan.

Ynnealidh

The necropolis below.

A direct reference to Low Commorragh and the other slumlike regions around it; it is a specifically Drukhari pejorative used to express contempt for their fellow citizens of the Dark City by those in High Commorragh.

Trivia

In keeping with the fey-inspired theme of the Aeldari as "space elves," the structure and pronunciation of the Aeldari Lexicon is heavily inspired by real-world Celtic tongues from the British Isles, particularly Welsh, Irish Gaelic and Scottish Gaelic.